Wren looking to make waves in return to Western AAA

Wren's Brandon Coleman runs with the ball after catching a screen pass against Pendleton.

During Jeff Tate's four seasons at Wren, he has transformed the team from a Class AAAA doormat to one of state's most intimidating spread passing attacks. For a smaller school in the state's top classification, Tate's teams had good runs in Region 1-AAAA, making the playoffs three consecutive years and winning the region in 2009.

So the transition back to AAA should be a smooth one, right?

Wren's return to Region 1-AAA, where it called home up until 2003, brings new challenges and, according to Tate, stiffer competition from top to bottom than the 'Canes have faced in the last decade. Tate didn't need to look back too far to make his point. In 2009, Wren rolled through their region schedule, which included a 28-3 win over powerhouse Greenwood, but fell to Belton-Honea Path earlier in the season.

The 'Canes will have a group of skill players on offense who are going to be faster as a collective whole than ever and a defense capable making stops during key points of games.

"For the first time, we can be really dominant because of the personnel," said Tate, who led Wren to an 8-4 season, but lost back-to-back games to rival Easley, including a first-round playoff game, to end the season.

But the 'Canes got better as the season progressed and learned from their mistakes.

"These guys who have been here for three or four years understand that the season isn't made in the first game or made in the fifth week," Tate said. "In getting to the end of the season and playing at a high level and having an opportunity to advance in the playoffs you have to be able to minimize your mistakes."

For the second straight season, the offense will be turned over to a new quarterback. Caleb McClain took the job from the departed Austin McCaskill and ran with it last season, finishing with 2,379 passing yards and 22 touchdowns en route to all-area honors. Wren scored 40 points or more seven times last season.

Now it's Jacob Clary's turn. The 6-2, 205-pound junior sports the same type of accurate arm McCaskill and McClain had and can run like McClain, but is a bit faster.

Clary will have no shortage of weapons around him as senior Brandon Coleman is back off an all-region season. And he'll be joined in the receiving core by gifted athletes Dexter Jackson, Adrian Rogers, D.J. Jones and D.J. Anderson as well as dual-threat running back Levi Bufford.